Sequel to "I am"
Charlotte is moments away from having the biggest arrest of her career when it suddenly seems like everything is falling apart. One year after the events of the last book (and 3 weeks after the epilogue), Charlotte and Connor have...
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Love y'all, here's the chapter :)
Andrea
~ "Well, you see Todd, Dr. Lance is only eligible on a technicality. While humans and androids may run for office, humans may only run if they're 6-month long residents of Jericho. Dr. Lance's permanent residence is located in a local Detroit suburb, but she does own a studio apartment within Jericho's city lines. While I'm sure this may have benefited her if running for her current position, it's unlikely to assist her in the position she chose," Amira spoke.
I had no idea what to say. It was beyond belief that Christen would've picked this. Markus seemed relatively unbothered though. He actually seemed incredibly confident, but nevertheless, I was concerned. How did everything that happened that night lead up to this?
Instantly, my phone began to ring, and I looked. It was Nick. I shooed Megan and Markus out of my office and picked up the telephone.
"Did you know about this? I didn't know about this," Nick panicked.
"Not at all. She hasn't even been into the office recently."
"God, this is so fucking stupid of her. She's going to get torn apart. This was so..."
"Dumb?"
"I already said stupid and that's like the same thing."
"The point is Christen's made a mistake," I responded. "Markus is determined now. The only thing Christen carries is the weight of her name."
"She has to have something up her sleeve, right? She wouldn't just..."
"She absolutely would," I answered.
"I don't know. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones. Maybe it's the Connor thing. I don't know, but something caused this."
"Or maybe, it was Kamski. Or maybe it was herself. I don't know. I just doubt this was some off the cuff, spur of the moment decision."
"I'm going to...go pick up Margot from school. I don't want her classmates picking on her," Nick said.
"Sounds like a good idea," I groaned.
We hung up, and as soon as we did, my phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Rhonda Ramsey from Detroit Office of the Police Commissioner calling for Charlotte Anderson," She stated into the phone instantly.
"Oh, hello Rhonda," I responded.
"Hi, sweetie. Connor asked me to give you a call and let you know that he's heading up to your office. He'll be there in about 15 minutes, give or take."
"Thank you, but I have a favor to ask. Rhonda, could you ensure that there's no media contact from the office today?"
"Surely! Seems like somethings going on. Well, I've been shooing off the media for 40 years, and no one has ever gotten through the steel barrier of Rhonda Ramsey," She answered.
"Thank you, Rhonda," I chuckled.
"Of course! Well, I'll talk to you later. Seems like they're already trying to buzz in."
"Goodbye, now," I answered. I hung up the phone and peeked out the door to see Markus and Megan waiting patiently.
"That was Nick...and then Connor's secretary to let me know that he's on his way. So...it seems like word has gotten around quick," I explained.
"Oh, hasn't it," Markus sighed. "I'm so disappointed in her. She didn't even have the common courtesy to come up here after she finished filing. But...Charlotte. I have no expectations of you or your staff providing any services to me. If you choose to support Christen, I completely understand and will never hold it against you. Family comes first."
"As much as I appreciate that Markus, I'm not sure you needed to say it," I explained.
"There's plenty of considerations to be made before any decisions are," Megan continued for me. "I'll keep a look out to see if anyone files to compete for your position." She immediately walked off to her desk, and Markus gifted me a considerate glance.
"I'll head back to my office. I have plans to make," Markus nodded. "And...thank you."
I smiled a little bit, and returned to my own desk, just to watch Connor being approached by Amira.
"Commissioner Anderson! Are you filing for Chief Security Officer?" She asked.
"No? That's my wife," He responded, immediately walking into the building. I chuckled at his response and muted my computer, anticipating his arrival.
After a couple of minutes, there was a knock at my door. I swung it open to only bump Connor in the head.
"Oh," He groaned, as I immediately grabbed his hand.
"Are you alright?" I asked, trying to keep him from falling.
"Are you alright?" He responded immediately.
"I'm fine, Connor. I just hit you in the head!"
"I'm okay," He shrugged, wiping his forehead where a small bit of blue blood had pooled up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bandaid. He placed it one the spot. "I am more concerned about you after the news about Christen."
"It's...disappointing," I frowned, guiding him inside of my office to take a seat in a chair.
"Well...I have to thank you for trusting me. I've been asking you to trust me since we found each other, and you finally showcased it. I have no intention of destroying that trust," Connor explained.
"Does that mean you're going to finally tell me what happened?" I asked.
"No, unfortunately it's still not the right time."
"It's been two months, Connor," I sighed.
"I know. It's just that...I have no evidence to support my current conclusion," Connor responded. "All I can say surely is that rA9 is not an android."
"Considering how things have been going, I think it's the right time to tell you what I've been doing. Every day after work, I try to get in contact with Amanda. Markus revealed to me that they're relatively confident that rA9 is both a code error and an android. It's possible that the Amanda...who lives inside my head...knows who they are," I explained.
"So Christen did lie," Connor shook his head. "Well, now I'm more confused...and concerned."
"I don't know if she lied or doesn't know. She left Cyberlife before Kamski did, so it's very possible that she doesn't know that rA9 is an android...or that she does, but is protecting Kamski since he surely does."
"And you think that Amanda knows?" Connor asked.
"I think it's possible, but I have no idea. Connor...this is not your mission. You need to let it go for now," I explained.
"I can't let it go. Not with my suspicions. I appreciate you trying to take the weight off though."
And there it was. There was truly no convincing him that I had taken the reigns on this issue, and I should be okay with that. After all, Connor is the one who brought it up, but none the less, I'm disappointed. He simultaneously won't hand it off and won't explain why it's important. So...I'll figure it out myself, for the both of us.
